Labour’s ‘change of tone’ revives foreign students’ interest in UK universities

Applications by international students to UK universities have been revitalised in a welcome boost for the sector’s ailing financial health by the Labour government’s “change of tone” on immigration since the general election.

Vice-chancellors and admissions officers said a rise in the number of inquiries about courses and feedback from overseas recruitment agents suggested that the change in the government’s stance since the 4 July election had been widely noticed by potential international students and their families.

One vice-chancellor told the Guardian: “The change in tone has come in the nick of time to avoid all sorts of worst-case scenarios” of a steep drop in international student numbers as some were forecasting in July . But others cautioned that the previous Conservative government’s clampdown on student visas would have a lasting effect.

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The importance of international tuition fees is highlighted by the Guardian’s 2025 university guide, published on Saturday, which uses data on staff-student ratios and spending per student. Universities attracting more international students have been able to cross-subsidise domestic undergraduates, whose tuition fees in England have been frozen since 2017 and their value eroded by inflation.

Prof Max Lu, the vice-chancellor of the University of Surrey, praised Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, for welcoming international students to the UK, in a speech she made two weeks after taking office.

“I’ve had feedback from our agents, in China, India and south and south-east Asian markets. All the agents’ feedback has been very positive and it’s been very well received,” Lu said.

“I got a briefing from my director of admissions saying that international postgraduate conversion rates have gone up. I can pay a tribute to our secretary of state, Bridget Phillipson, because her message was widely publicised internationally, that international students are welcome, they contribute not only economically but also culturally and to diversity and everything else.

“That was tremendous, I think. Everyone from the university sector that I spoke to in the last few days really praises her. That has already made a difference.”

Several vice-chancellors attending the Universities UK annual conference this week confirmed Surrey’s response but warned that the revival may not come quickly enough for international postgraduate recruitment this autumn.

Dr Caroline Baylon, the University of Reading’s international pro-vice-chancellor, said: “The new government’s more positive tone about international students is helpful. I’ve spoken with some recruitment agents who are saying that prospective students do listen to these messages and they do pay attention to the news coming from the UK.

“It’s understandable that bright, ambitious young people want to come to places where they feel welcome and are reassured they will get the best possible education and experience.

“There are still a lot of unknowns, and there are more factors that influence student choice than just warm words. Fundamentally, international students should not and cannot be viewed as the answer to underfunding of the UK higher education sector as a whole.”

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Prof Andy Schofield, the vice-chancellor of Lancaster University, said: “A number of institutions like Lancaster, that are research-intensive, are looking with some trepidation at what the postgraduate international market looks like, and that we won’t find out until October for definite.”

Surrey and Reading are two universities that have risen rapidly in their overall rankings within the Guardian’s university guide, which is based on the aggregate ratings of undergraduate courses offered by each institution.

Surrey has broken back into the top 20, after an absence of seven years, while Reading’s overall rank rose from 61st two years ago to 35th. At the top of the table, Oxford has regained its number one position from the University of St Andrews, which is second, followed by Cambridge, the London School of Economics and Imperial College London, which are unchanged from last year.

Matt Hiely-Rayner of Intelligent Metrix, who compiles the guide’s tables, said the University of Essex was a notable climber, rising from 85th in 2021 to its highest position of 23rd this year.

“Improved student-staff ratios have been a big factor in Essex’s upwards trajectory and this was accompanied by a big increase in student attainment during the pandemic that has been sustained since,” Hiely-Rayner said.